Turkey could play key role in creating air shield over Black Sea – expert

Ankara has the potential to lead an initiative to conduct aerial patrols over the Black Sea to protect ports and commercial shipping.

Yevgeniya Gaber, professor of national security studies and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council (U.S.) and the Center in Modern Turkish Studies at Carleton University, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"One area where Ankara could play a leadership role is aerial patrols over the Black Sea to protect port and critical infrastructure, as well as commercial shipping, which regularly becomes a target of Russian attacks," Gaber said.

The professor noted that Ankara has traditionally insisted that security arrangements in the Black Sea be based on cooperation among the Black Sea NATO countries (Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria) without a naval presence of non-regional allies. However, this logic does not extend to aerial patrols.

"Therefore, with the necessary political will, Turkey could play a key role in establishing and coordinating a so-called air shield over the Black Sea," the expert added.

She recalled that since 2024, Ankara has joined the pan-European Sky Shield air defense initiative. Turkey also participates in NATO's enhanced forward presence in Romania and is actively involved in the Alliance's naval and air missions in the Black Sea region. According to Turkey's Ministry of Defense plans, the country will again deploy its F-16 fighter jets to Romania for patrols from December 2026 to March 2027.

Photo: Yevgeniya Gaber archive